The central match of Matchday 28 in the Azerbaijan Premier League between Qarabag and Sabah, set to take place on Saturday, April 18, will be officiated by the same referees who have already handled previous meetings between the two clubs this season.
As reported by İdman.Biz, FIFA referee Elchin Masiyev has been appointed as the main official for the upcoming game.
He will be assisted by Elshad Abdullayev and Parvin Talibov, with Ingilab Mammadov serving as the fourth official. VAR duties will be handled by Tural Gurbanov, assisted by Jamil Guliyev.
The appointment is notable given that the same group of officials has already worked on head-to-head clashes between the two sides this season. In the rescheduled Matchday 1 game held in December, Masiyev was the referee while Gurbanov was on VAR duty. In the second-round meeting in March, the roles were reversed, with Gurbanov refereeing and Masiyev operating VAR. Abdullayev, Talibov and Guliyev were also involved in both fixtures.
It is worth noting that in the two previous league encounters this season, Gurban Gurbanov’s side failed to secure a win. Sabah claimed a 2-1 victory in December, while the March fixture ended in a high-scoring 3-3 draw.
Interestingly, familiar officials were also present in the first leg of the Azerbaijan Cup semi-final between Qarabag and Sabah on April 3. That match was refereed by Rauf Jabbarov, assisted by Abdullayev, Talibov and Mammadov. Qarabag were again unable to win, with the match ending 2-2.
Looking at referee appointments in matches involving Qarabag and Sabah against other opponents in the 2025/26 Premier League season, certain names appear repeatedly.
Gurbanov has featured most frequently, taking part in 12 matches in various roles, including referee, VAR, assistant VAR and fourth official. Abdullayev has been appointed eight times, while Talibov and Mammadov have each appeared four times. Masiyev has officiated three such matches, and Guliyev two.
Ahead of Matchday 28, Sabah lead the Azerbaijan Premier League table with 66 points, while Qarabag sit second, 10 points behind but with a game in hand. A win for the Agdam side would keep the title race alive, whereas a victory for Sabah could all but decide the championship.
